Osteomyelitis of the jaws was relatively common before the era of
antibiotic therapy and preventive and restorative dentistry.
Osteomyelitis is an acute or chronic inflammatory process that can involve cortical and trabecular aspects of bone or bone marrow. Cranial bones are infrequently involved, but spreading of
inflammation with involvement of surrounding structures represents important risk, such as
cerebral abscess,
encephalitis, or
meningitis. The mandible is more commonly involved than the maxilla. Dentogenic
infections cause 38% of mandibular and 25% of maxillary involvement. Involvement of zygoma is very rare. Factors like viral
fevers,
malnutrition,
malaria,
anemia,tobacco chewing, immunodeficiency,
osteopetrosis,
Paget's disease of bone, and
florid cemento-osseous dysplasia (FCOD) result in decreased vascularity of the affected bone, predisposing to the development of
osteomyelitis. We present a case of
osteomyelitis of left maxilla and zygoma with
oroantral fistula in an immunocompetent adult male caused by dentogenic
infection. The complete resolution of
infection was gained with surgical treatment using nasal
endoscope and
antibiotic therapy. The aims of this paper are to illustrate diagnostic patterns, to report radiographic findings and surgical treatment using nasal
endoscope in a case of
osteomyelitis of maxilla and zygoma. The prognosis and cosmetic results are discussed.